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Report: Emails triggered Petraeus probe

The scandal continued to have political ramifications Sunday. | John Shinkle/POLITICO

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on “Fox News Sunday” that she believed there was no connection between the deadly attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi and Petraeus’s resignation.

“The events in Benghazi and his resignation? Absolutely not,” the California Democrat said.

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Saying the scandal was “a heartbreak,” the California Democrat said the news came “like a lightning bolt” and that she would investigate why she and other committee members had not learned about the investigation before Friday.

In place of Petraeus, CIA deputy director Michael Morell is to testify Thursday before Congress about the slayings in Benghazi. This change did not please everyone.

“I don’t see how in the world you can find out what happened in Benghazi before, during and after the attack if Gen. Petraeus doesn’t testify,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), speaking Sunday on “Face the Nation” on CBS. Graham is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

On ABC’s “This Week,” Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) rejected any notion that Petraeus had lied to or misled lawmakers during the former CIA director’s confirmation hearings in June 2011.

”I don’t know the exact date of when all of this, the process began,” Chambliss said. “We’re confident David Petraeus was very straight up with us during the confirmation hearing.”

Broadwell, 40, is married with two children. She was the author, along with journalist Vernon Loeb, of “All In: The Education of General David Petraeus,” a book about his military career.

Speaking as part of a roundtable on “This Week,” Paul Gigot of The Wall Street Journal worried that Broadwell may have ended up with access to secrets she should not have had access to.

Others on the roundtable were less concerned about the ultimate ramifications of the scandal.

“I think this is a personal — I really think it is a personal matter,” said Katrina vanden Heuvel of The Nation. “You would think the worst thing that the CIA has ever done is engage in an extramarital affair.”

Readers' Comments (18)

Petraeus pillow talk seemed to end up in Paula Broadwell's speech in Denver last year. WND has story and complete video of Paula at U of Denver on Oct.26 giving news of secret prison in CIA compound in Benghazi.. Our govt is run either by low rent circus clowns or Traitors intent on destroying America.

An interesting note: A man named Dave Reichert is a representative in Washington State. According to Fox news he suggested the whistle blower take his information to Eric Cantor. I knew Reichert's name sounded so familiar.

Then I remembered he was the King County Sheriff who had worked relentlessly to find the Green River Killer. I think he looked for almost twenty years before he found Gary Ridgeway. I didn't know Reichert had gone into politics.

Gen Petraeus should be made to testify before Congress. His affair should not get in the way of finding the truth about Benghazi. The loons in the right wing should quit with the conspiracy theories until all the facts are learned.

Patreas was probably doing them both and the 37 yr old threatened to squeel to the 40 yr ods husband. The 40 yr old married woman threatens to have Patreas get her canned. She runs to rightwing extremist teabaggr Cantor. And he tries to use it to hurt Obamas re-election landslide!!!! 332-206 or 52% to 47%.

Oh ya. Lindsey Graham, (If things unfold ast they usually do with conservative hypocrites) was probably doing Peter King in a buick in between ani-gay marriage rallies for the Christian right.

The whole Petraeus story is bogus. It's probablly Obummer and Eric Holder trying to blackmail Petraeus into taking the fall for the Benghazi matter. I think Diane Frankstien is a liar. This whole mess smells of Libya. It difies commonsense that If Petraeus was a faithful husband for 37 years and then all of sudden he decides to cheat on his wife with this 40 year old cow, I don't believe that. Moreover, either Petraeus was always a dog cheating on his wife all the time and Obummer knew it and hence he had Eric Holder sic the FBI on Petraeus to investigate his emails. Since when does the FBI start investigating the CIA director's emails. Obummer had plans on blackmailing Petraeus into testifying a certain way, but Petraeus resigned abruptly. I'll put it this way if your were a faithful husband for 37 years and you decide to cheat on your wife are you going to cheat with this cow? just look at her? are you going to damage your marriage for that? I don't think so, not for the first time in 37 years. If you're going throw it all away for the first time in 37 years of marriage, why not with some young sexy irresitable honey that a guy would run in front of bus for certainly not someone who looks like they could make a train take detour down a wrong track because she is so homely. Give me a break. Watch when Petraeaus does testify he's going to put this Benghazi mess right in Obummer's lap, Obummer watched the entire attack in Benghazi on live video and went to bed slept like baby and got up and went on the campaign trail. WHAT A GUY, you folks voted for him now I hope you're proud of his sorry arse.

If you believe this story. I've got a bridge for you. Starting wars and assassinations are OK in the CIA. But cheating on your wife? That's immoral! There's a lot more to this story that, and since our media's been neutered, we'll probably never know for sure.

This appears to be a spat between one old and one new mistress who both disrespected the protagonist's wife of 37 years. It's not the province of Congress, despite its prurience, to involve itself with such matters.

Claiming a national security violation reveals a denial of American culture as it currently exists, a bloated definition of public (and pubic) interest, and disrespect for privacy.

In other words, if you really believe in small, non-intrusive government, you'll stay out of our bedrooms.

During the FBI probe of Paula Broadwell’s emails, investigators had become worried that Petraeus’s personal email account had been hacked.

Our first question is simple enough. How was the affair uncovered? Per the NYT:

[Petraeus family friend Jill Kelley,] alarmed by about half a dozen anonymous e-mails accusing her of inappropriate flirtatious behavior with Mr. Petraeus, complained to an F.B.I. agent who is also a personal friend. That agent, who has not been identified, helped get a preliminary inquiry started. . . Because the sender’s account had been registered anonymously, investigators had to use forensic techniques—including a check of what other e-mail accounts had been accessed from the same computer address—to identify who was writing the e-mails. Eventually they identified [biographer Paula] Broadwell as a prime suspect and obtained access to her regular e-mail account.

Wait, sorry, what? The F.B.I. can access your account, without a warrant or even notifying you, on the sole basis of suspicion that you might be e-bullying an F.B.I. agent’s pal? Is this an official subsection of the Patriot Act? The friends-only harassment follow-up exemption? ---VF